SC rejects plea for lower qualification marks for Scheduled Castes in Haryana Judicial Service

The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a petition seeking a lower qualification benchmark for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates in Haryana Judicial Service Exam..A Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud heard the petitioner’s counsel, Raghav Awasthi before dismissing the case in limine..The petitioner, Volunteers for Social Justice, had challenged the decision of the Punjab & Haryana High Court to keep 45 percent as the qualification marks for SC candidates. The same benchmark was prescribed for backward caste candidates as well..The petitioner had challenged the same before the Punjab & Haryana High Court which had dismissed the case. This led to an appeal to the Supreme Court..Advocate Raghav Awasthi submitted that the qualification marks prescribed for Scheduled Caste candidates and Backward Caste candidates are the same and consequently, the SC candidates, who don’t have the benefit of going to good schools and colleges, suffer..Chief Justice Thakur, however, maintained that there should be minimum qualification for being a judge..“For selecting a judge, there has to be a minimum qualification. There has to be a benchmark; just because one is a Scheduled Caste, the same cannot be done away with.”.The Court then said that if any of the aggrieved persons are affected, they can approach the Court rather than an NGO filing such a petition..Awasthi replied that SC people, who are affected, are apprehensive and might not raise the issue..The court, however, proceeded to dismiss the case..A tweet about the same elicited some interesting responses. Below are a few of them.